While you were out grilling hot dogs and searching for the song of the summer (give it up, there isn’t one), the Architecture Billings Index was climbing to its highest score since 2007. In June, the ABI posted a 55.7, up significantly from 51.9 in May. The new projects inquiry index also had a great month, moving from 61.5 to 63.4.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) doesn’t want to hear it right now–it knows it’s not in a great place, okay? After the economic index started looking up last month—we’re talking 51.7!—the ABI dropped down to 48.8 in April. And, as we all know, any score below 50 means a decrease in billings. Here’s a silver lining, though: the New Projects Inquiry did scoot up from 58.2 to 60.1.

The new boom in architecture work has been a godsend for once-struggling firms nationwide. But there’s a downside. Offices consistently tell us that a hangover of the brutal recession is that they’re hesitant to hire large quantities of new workers, which means more work for not enough people. This, of course, means exhaustion and stress. And so we’ll dub the new economy the Nervous Breakdown Boom until we can think of something better.

Art and architecture book nirvana Hennessy + Ingalls closed its Hollywood location on Sunday after just six years in business. The store had been situated in a bow truss structure inside Space 15 Twenty on Cahuenga Boulevard, just north of Sunset.

It looks like the Architecture Billings Index is finally ready to start 2015. As AN reported last month, the ABI failed to impress in January, posting a 49.9, which technically puts the outlook in negative territory with 50 marking the cut off. That’s right, negative territory for the first time in ten months. Thanks ABI, happy New Year to you, too.

The penthouse could be yours for just $150 million. (Flickr / Joe Shlabotnik)

Hey, one percenters, listen up (or pay someone to do it for you) because we’ve got some exciting news that might pique your interest. All the rest of you non-global-elite types can amscray. That’s right, you heard us, get out of here. It’s for your own good.

The month of January is supposed to be the time of year when we put our best foot forward and onto a treadmill. “New Year, New Me,” we tell ourselves as we pretend to train for that marathon and convince ourselves that fruit is somehow an appropriate substitute for dessert. (It’s not and you know that.)

With all of this in mind, we expected some best-foot-forward kind of numbers from the January Architecture Billings Index (ABI). But, no folks, it turns out that the ABI not only lost momentum from last year, it plunged into negative territory. Well, to be fair, it didn’t really plunge into negative territory so much as it dipped a toe into it, posting a score of 49.9, down from 52.7 in December. Since any score above a 50 indicates an increase in billings, 49.9 is not the end of the world.

Back in November, we told you how Taylor Swift’s hit song “Shake It off” perfectly summed up how we should feel about the Architecture Billings Index’s disappointing showing from the month before. Sure, the ABI’s momentum had slowed to 55.2 in October, but since any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, we could just shake off any negativity. Now with 2014 gone, how did the Index shape up through the end of the year?

The party’s over, folks. Take down the streamers, re-cork that bottle of champagne, and turn off the Taylor Swift. Actually, on second thought, turn the Swift back on because “Shake It Off” might be exactly what we need to hear right now. We’ll tell it to you straight. After months of strong momentum, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped from a 55.2 in September to a 53.7 in October. Here’s where Ms. Swift plays back into the data set—since any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, things are still in the positive territory so we can shake, shake, shake the October Architecture Billings Index score off, more or less.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) report is back and it’s ready to party so drop that Monday morning cup of coffee and take a sip of the hot data the AIA is serving up. Last month, while we were all just going about our everyday lives, the ABI was soaring to new heights. Any score above a 50 indicates an increase in billings, but the ABI wasn’t satisfied with playing it safe. No, it went all the way to 55.2. Sure, it’s not the 55.8 that got the world talking in July, but it’s still good news and better than August’s 53.0, am I right? There’s more.

As the summer turns to fall, it’s easy to look back and remember the season that was. There was that outdoor concert, that weekend trip to Montreal, that margarita served in a mason jar, and that time you and your neighbor Karl tried to repave the deck. Hey there, chin up, no need to get so nostalgic just yet, that’s what the winter is for. There is one last way to relive that glorious summer right now. How? Through the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), of course. With the newly-released August-time data it’s like the Autumnal Equinox never even happened at all.